The weather hasn't been as pleasant to be outside so we are trying to find fun things to do inside (so far I this week I have lost my inspiration - however, today I managed to get Brenna out to McDonald's play area and then to the bead shop). I have had a lingering head ache around here - hopefully it will be gone soon....

I sewed on the day with the worst weather here. Other than that, not really too much going on.

Monday, October 25, 2010

two of my yummy snacks I made to eat today (we made them for a craft morning with friends, but were very bummed that our host got sick - please feel better soon - we would love to make the pizza muffins (below) to share (and also our yummy frozen banana ghost (pics of that to follow in our next post)). The bread above was a sun-dried tomato and basil bread - it was really good (but probably not going to be made again as the jar with the sun-dried tomato and basil was way too expensive for me to buy again :-(

Can you believe my little model below (check out her favorite shoes of mine - I think she would like me to wear them on a daily basis - but I kind of think they look better on her, lol). (She felt the need to dress up today after looking at our wedding pictures with all our pretty dresses - I was surprised that this was the dress she picked, but she did look great in it).

Hello All!!!

Hope all is well out there! Things have been staying busy here. Last week Dustin was in Detroit all week - boy did Brenna and I miss having him home.

I wasn't really feeling like myself last week, so we really didn't do too much (we did however do two crafts - Brenna and I did some paper mache - (although we aren't finished with that project yet - so you will have to wait to see the finished item there and I made earrings, (I of course did got a little carried away with them and made 3 new pairs and bought some clip ons for Brenna as she is all about the accessories right now)). Brenna had school pictures last week too - can't wait to see those as she looked so cute in her braids that morning when she left :-)

Well, that is about all I can remember from last week (I guess I better start posting more frequently again, lol).

Saturday, October 16, 2010

above the bib I made for the birthday party last weekend - hope they get some wear out of it. I loved the binding I made and the little monkey turned out so cute. Below, Brenna and I on one of the hayrides from the fall tour last Sunday.

Dustin's parents - aren't they a cute couple!!!

Brenna enjoying one of her new gifts from Gammy - this dog is very silly and rolls on the floor laughing - Brenna loves it!

And now - these pictures were all taken by Brenna - she is becoming such the little photographer (hmm, wonder where she gets that from, lol). (If you look closely in the picture below, you can see her reflection in the door)

Pictures from the birthday party last weekend - Brenna took all of these as well - she did a really great job!

Below - I don't know if the adults below realized how well Brenna will take your picture. I really had to resist putting up the silly faces that they made for Brenna (they were some of her best pictures too!!!).

Hello All!!

Happy Birthday to my mom today - hope you have a great day!!!!

Last weekend we went to a great birthday party for our friends from Germany (who are living here in the US - I sure missed them when they moved here, but I am glad we can visit with them here). I think I need to have my friend plan future kids parties for me - it was a great party - she had great activities for the kids and even sent home a really nice goody bag :-) The food was really, really good too (way better than my easy pizza party I had for Brenna - I would like to say in my defense that we didn't have any of our stuff back from Germany at that point, but reality is that Brenna has had a lot of pizza parties for her birthday - maybe next year we will do something different). One really neat thing from the party is that in Germany the kids don't have to wait to open their gifts at the party - the kids get to open the gifts up as the guests arrive - I think we will do that at Brenna's party next year, so be prepared for that, lol :-) It was great to get to visit with the friends that we have in common and also meet the great new friends that our friends have met since moving to the US.

We also went on the fall tour here in Medina last weekend with Dustin's parents. We had such a great day for our outing. We went to one of the farms on the list first (which I really would not do again - the horses looked starved and that stop wanted to charge for all their activities - boo to you). Then we went to a Christmas tree farm and an apple orchard and enjoyed our hayrides there. The Christmas tree farm had homemade doughnuts and fresh apple cider - yum! They also had a chestnut tree - I have missed seeing them this fall in our area (they were everywhere in our town in Germany). The apple orchard was very crowded, so we did the hayride there and then headed back home. We went out for ice cream to complete our day - we had a really great time (and Brenna even told me that in the car on the way home :-)

As I said yesterday, this week has been focused on Brenna's dress - I didn't even get laundry done this week I was so busy with it in the mornings when she was at school :-)

Friday, October 15, 2010

Brenna striking a pose in her Tiana costume outside before Boo at the Zoo (above). Below riding the panda at the zoo - she just looks too cute! (I think she looks pretty regal - guess she should since she is a princess)... (I made the yellow fleece cover up too - it has a feather tie - so cute. We found the gloves at Target - I think they were a great accessory to the dress).

Brenna with her prince - Naveen...

Brenna modeling earlier this week with her new princess gloves and crown (not sure where her hand pose started, but she just keeps doing it with the gloves - hmm, maybe it is something in the gloves, lol). (I love that her foot is even pointed)

Brenna modeling once the dress once completed today.

Brenna holding up Naveen - her prince...

I love her smile in this one...

Hello All!!!

Hope all is well out there. I have had a busy week of sewing this week. We went to Boo at the Akron Zoo tonight, so I was on a deadline to get Brenna's Halloween costume done (and I really think it turned out great (other than the awful time I had putting the zipper in - but it is in and works now, so at least it was done in time...). Dustin and I also celebrated our anniversary this week too :-) (we are even going to have a date night tomorrow thanks to Dustin's parents :-) (we have several more outings planned with this costume - so look for more pictures in the costume coming soon - can't wait to see the girls at dance class in a couple weeks). I need to get the pictures up that Brenna took at the birthday party we attending last weekend - she was a very good photographer!

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Brenna's Minnie pumpkin all carved out :-) Dustin bought me a new cutting tool from Wal-Mart (at the bargin price on $1). I think she turned out pretty awesome. Now the only problem is that I don't want to set them outside - I think they maybe my table centerpieces for the month, lol.

Our project from this afternoon (below). Can you tell we are loving Disney this Halloween (there are some great ideas right now on http://family.go.com/disney/disney-halloween-crafts-and-recipes-photo-gallery-pg/ - 31 ideas to be exact, wonder how many we might try before Halloween??). Brenna was a great help with these - she did great rolling the dough (it is a salt and flour dough - not for eating, but in hindsight, I wish I would have made them edible and done my white moulding chocolate - but then again, I have been eating enough sweets lately...)

We made 6 of the Mickey pumpkins - Brenna painted two of them - I think she would give the project a thumbs up :-) (Although I ignored the directions to wear gloves when mixing in the food coloring - oops - I know have some very nice pink stained hands, lol).

I like the one that Brenna painted in the front - it looks like Mickey has hair to me :-)

Hello All!!!

Hope all is well out there! Things are going o.k. here - Dustin has a cold coming on - hopefully Brenna and I won't get it and it won't be terrible for Dustin.

We made some baked flour and salt Mickey pumpkins today (not edible). They were a fun time and I think they look pretty close to the inspiration ones. Brenna wanted to make tiny balls, but she got the idea of the bigger ones when I worked with her on them. (although we made the orange pumpkins first and then she was a little confused on the size for the black ears, but she caught on pretty well). Brenna even did pretty well putting the toothpicks in the ears - I think I should have put a little black paint on the top of the sticks, but maybe if we do this project again we will have it all figured out (although if we do it again - I may go for edible ones, lol). Now, we will just have to monitor Justice and make sure that he doesn't eat them (I'm sure the paint we used (and the toothpicks) wouldn't be good to eat). Brenna painted two of the pumpkins when they cooled - she actually did a pretty good job painting in the lines, but continued painting more on the front after she painted in the lines first (guess I should have been handing them to her and moving them quicker, lol). But, I think they all look cute.

I was impressed at Wal-Mart today that someone thought all my rain gear looked fashionable :-) (I think it is very fashionable - but I'm biased). Whoever that person is - thank you for brightening my day :-)

Monday, October 4, 2010

Our pumpkins from yesterday - we pulled out the insides this morning and got one carved.... I don't really remember carving a pumpkin before this, so I am going to say this is my first. I think Brenna likes it! (Although this was a practice one so that we can do the face she picked out later - I'm going to have to get a better carving knife 1st). I'm pretty proud of my pumpkin :-)

Anybody want to come carve out Brenna's Minnie Mouse?? - the inside has already been cleaned out and all the markings are on the pumpkin - now just need to get brave enough to carve it out.

Hello All!!!

Thought you all might enjoy our project pictures from this morning. Brenna had lots of fun helping pull out the pumpkin insides. Brenna picked Minnie Mouse for hers and I picked a classic face for mine (or maybe I should say Dustin's - my pumpkin was too small to do a face on).

Well, off to enjoy some movie time this afternoon - it is too cold and rainy for me to want to be out in it today :-)

(I also am trying to redesign some of my old jeans into new skirts right now - look for pictures coming soon)

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Above, Brenna's pumpkin that she decorated at the Harvest Festival at the local library yesterday. I love her faces that she draws right now :-). Below at the Pumpkin Patch close by.

I loved their scarecrows...

I love how my little cowgirl dressed up for the pumpkin patch, lol. She loves dresses right now and that is all she wants to wear (she had on her new princess tutu dress and also the skirt that I made her - she looked so cute - oh, and of course jewelry too!). We did wear our rain boots (well, at least Brenna and I did) - don't we look fashionable :-)

eating the yummy apples they shared - I am going to have to find some more of that variety - Brenna ate 2 while we were there (one before the hayride and one after).

In the pumpkin patch - getting ready to pick a big pumpkin (of course after she realized that she couldn't lift the big pumpkin up, she was interested in my little pumpkin that I picked - I bet she will have more interest in her big one again if we decide to carve them tomorrow, lol).

modeling with her pumpkin when we got back home (hmm, where is that pumpkin - it was between her feet).

she wasn't really that interested in holding it up for me...

Hello All!!

Hope all is well out there. Things are good here. We tried to do some of the fall activities here in town this weekend - we went to a Harvest Festival at one of the local libraries yesterday and then to a nearby Pumpkin Patch today. Overall it has been a pretty quiet weekend - hmm, maybe I should have worked on finishing the rest of the unpacking...

Well, hope you enjoy all the pictures - I guess I was a little camera happy, lol.